14/07/2025

LYFE MONDAY | JULY 14, 2025

/thesuntelegram FOLLOW / Malaysian Paper

ON TELEGRAM m RAM

22

Beware of scams exploiting F1 movie o Cybercriminals offer fake opportunity to watch film for free, win miniature racing cars

S TARRING Brad Pitt, F1: The Movie has just premiered worldwide, and the excitement surrounding the highly anticipated Apple Original Films release has fuelled a wave of fraudulent activity, it was recently reported. Scammers are attempting to lure victims with offers to stream the movie for free, as well as with fake giveaways of race car toys tied to the special McMenu promotion by McDonald’s and Apple. ‘Free subscription’ lure One scam lures users with a so-called “free subscription” to watch the new movie online. The fake website, featuring an attractive dark design, displays a large video player window with a photo of Brad Pitt taken from official promotional materials. To allegedly watch the film for free, users are prompted to activate a free account. During registration, scammers request that users link a bank card – from which they later withdraw all available funds. The promised access to the film is never provided. “Always check the website address to stay safe – scammers often use names that closely resemble legitimate ones to mislead victims. Avoid clicking on suspicious links. Instead, type the website address directly into your browser’s search bar. Also, be wary of deals that seem too good to be true – they often turn out to be scams. When paying online, it is also advisable to use virtual cards with spending limits,” said Kaspersky security expert Olga Altukhova. Exploitation of partnership In another scam, attackers exploit the Apple and McDonald’s partnership: in select Latin American countries, fans can purchase a Formula One (F1)-themed combo meal and receive exclusive toys – F1 miniature that will challenge Alphabet’s market-dominating Google Chrome, according to three people familiar with the matter. The browser is slated to launch in the coming weeks, three of the people said, and aims to use artificial intelligence to fundamentally change how consumers browse the web. It will give OpenAI more direct access to a cornerstone of Google’s success: user data. If adopted by the 500 million weekly active users of ChatGPT, OpenAI’s browser could put pressure on a key component of rival Google’s ad-money spigot. Chrome is an important pillar of Alphabet’s ad business, which makes up nearly three-quarters of its revenue, as Chrome provides user information to help Alphabet target ads more effectively and profitably, and also

racing cars. Riding the wave of F1 popularity, cybercriminals have launched a fake website offering these figurines for free in exchange for completing a movie-themed quiz. According to the scammers, users are required to pay only for delivery after completing the quiz – but that is when the payment and the personal data submitted for “delivery” are stolen. The data may later be used in social engineering attacks or sold on the dark web. Kaspersky experts have so far found the site only in Portuguese, but given the global popularity of the film and the enthusiasm of collectors worldwide, the scheme could easily spread to other regions. “The scam page is fairly well-crafted: the quiz features several questions related to the movie’s theme, with plausible answer choices that add to the scheme’s credibility. For example, it asks who plays the lead role, where scenes with real cars were shot or which famous racers consulted on the production. However, the fraudulent quiz allows unlimited attempts and potential victims reach the prize delivery page even in case of not knowing the correct answers,” Altukhova added. Keeping safe Tips for individual users to avoid Check URLs, domain names and customer reviews before making purchases online. 0 Be wary of unsolicited offers Scammers often use pop-ups, ads or phishing emails to direct users to fraudulent sites. 0 Avoid sharing personal information Only provide sensitive details on secure, verified platforms. 0 Use comprehensive security solutions Reliable cybersecurity software, such falling victim to such scams: 0 Verify website authenticity gives Google a way to route search traffic to its own engine by default. OpenAI’s browser is designed to keep some user interactions within a ChatGPT-like native chat interface instead of clicking through to websites, two of the sources said. The browser is part of a broader strategy by OpenAI to weave its services across the personal and work lives of consumers, one of the sources said. OpenAI declined to comment. The sources declined to be identified because they are not authorised to speak publicly on the matter. Led by entrepreneur Sam Altman, OpenAI upended the tech industry with the launch of its AI chatbot ChatGPT in late 2022. After its initial success, OpenAI has faced stiff competition from rivals including Google and startup Anthropic, and is looking for new areas of growth.

Scam landing page capitalising on F1: The Movie .

as Kaspersky Premium, can block phishing sites and prevent malware infections. Capitalising on trends Cybercriminals often capitalise on trendy products and services with high demand and trends – that is why they often choose well-known brands such as Apple and McDonalds to capitalise on as lures. To effectively manage and mitigate risks from the corporate side, brands can consider the following recommendations: 0 Regularly monitor search engines, social media and marketplaces. Consider outsourcing this task to a proven cybersecurity provider to identify phishing resources before anyone falls victim to it. 0 Educate and inform customers. For example, companies may list authorised resources for purchasing their products on their official websites, highlight official communication channels and report any phishing attempts publicly. 0 If a phisher attempts to exploit your brand, it is worth collecting information on the fraudulent domain or IP address, and any available details. Immediately report suspicious or phishing sites to the appropriate authorities. 0 Encourage customers to report all suspicious activities carried out on behalf of the brand. Ask them to provide screenshots and other proofs to be able to find out about suspicious actions in time. In May, OpenAI said it would enter the hardware domain, paying US$6.5 billion (RM27.6 billion) to buy Io, an AI devices startup from Apple’s former design chief Jony Ive. A web browser would allow OpenAI to directly integrate its AI agent products such as Operator into the browsing experience, enabling the browser to carry out tasks on behalf of the user, the people said. The browser’s access to a user’s web activity would make it the ideal platform for AI “agents” that can take actions on their behalf, such as booking reservations or filling out forms, directly within the websites they use. OpenAI has its work cut out – Google Chrome, which is used by more than three billion people, currently holds more than two-thirds of the worldwide browser market, according to web analytics firm StatCounter. Apple’s second-place

Scam landing page hosting a quiz that purportedly allows people to

win a free miniature racing car.

Examples of questions presented in the quiz.

OpenAI to release web browser in challenge to Google Chrome OPENAI is close to releasing an AI-powered web browser

code for Google Chrome, as well as many competing browsers including Microsoft’s Edge and Opera. Last year, OpenAI hired two longtime Google vice presidents who were part of the original team that developed Google Chrome. The Information was first to report their hires and that OpenAI previously considered building a browser. An OpenAI executive testified in April that the company would be interested in buying Chrome if antitrust enforcers succeeded in forcing the sale. Google has not offered Chrome for sale. The company has said it plans to appeal the ruling that it holds a monopoly. OpenAI decided to build its own browser, rather than simply a “plug-in” on top of another company’s browser, in order to have more control over the data it can collect, one source said. – Reuters

Safari lags far behind with a 16% share. Last month, OpenAI said it had three million paying business users for ChatGPT. Perplexity, which has a popular AI search engine, launched an AI browser Comet last Wednesday, capable of performing actions on a user’s behalf. Two other AI startups, The Browser Company and Brave, have released AI-powered browsers capable of browsing and summarising the internet. Chrome’s role in providing user information to help Alphabet target ads more effectively and profitably has proven so successful that the US Justice Department has demanded its divestiture after a judge last year ruled that the Google parent holds an unlawful monopoly in online search. OpenAI’s browser is built atop Chromium, Google’s own open-source browser code, two of the sources said. Chromium is the source